South Brisbane City Council
History
When the Town of Brisbane was first established, it was predominantly on the northern bank of the Brisbane River, but included some areas south of the river, including the ward of Kangaroo Point and the ward of South Brisbane, the area between Vulture Street and the river.
The Queensland Government passed the Divisional Boards Act of 1879 to establish a system of Divisional Boards for the purpose of providing local government for portions of the colony outside the boundaries of municipalities. The first Divisional Boards were proclaimed on 11 November 1879. Although the Woolloongabba Division was intended to be one of the first established, some delays occurred and it was not established until 9 January 1880.
The role of a Divisional Board was to provide such public services as:
- transport, including roads and bridges
- public health, including water, sanitation and drainage
- public amenities, including parks and cemeteries, etc.
Divisional boards were intended to administer areas with lower and more sparse population than that of a municipality. However, population of the Woolloongabba Divisional Board grew rapidly as the result of the introduction of a railway line into South Brisbane. On 7 January 1888, the Borough of South Brisbane was proclaimed a separate Municipal Institution. It combined the areas formerly part of the Division of Woolloongabba and the South Ward of the Municipality of Brisbane. However, the ward of Kangaroo Point remained part of the Town of Brisbane.
In 1891, work commenced on the construction of the South Brisbane Town Hall. The building was officially opened on 1 July 1892. Although it was commonly known as the "Town Hall", it was officially called the South Brisbane Municipal Chambers. The town hall is now listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.
The South Brisbane Memorial Park commemorates those of South Brisbane who died in World War I. On 20 May 1921 the South Brisbane City Council set aside a triangular block land bounded by Stanley Street, Vulture Street and Sidon Street opposite the South Brisbane Town Hall. On 6 August 1923 the park was dedicated Governor-General of Australia, Henry Forster.
Mayors
The voters elected aldermen to represent them. The aldermen elected one of their number each year to be mayor; this election took place in February each year.
| Year | Name of Mayor | Notes and references |
|---|---|---|
| 1888 | William Stephens | |
| 1889 | William Stephens | |
| 1890 | Arthur Morry | |
| 1891 | Thomas Heaslop | |
| 1892 | Thomas Heaslop | |
| 1893 | Thomas Heaslop | |
| 1894 | William Jones | |
| 1895 | William Jones | William Jones resigned as alderman and mayor in Sept 1895 but was unanimously re-elected a fortnight later. |
| 1896 | Abraham Fleetwood Luya | |
| 1897 | Abraham Fleetwood Luya | |
| 1898 | Abraham Fleetwood Luya | |
| 1899 | Philip Nott | |
| 1900 | John Garsden | |
| 1901 | William Stephens | |
| 1902 | John Currie | |
| 1903 | George Blocksidge | |
| 1904 | William Jones | |
| 1905 | John Davies | |
| 1906 | Robert Edward Burton | |
| 1907 | Andrew Gillespie | |
| 1908 | David Ballantyne McCullough | |
| 1909 | George Henry Schofield | |
| 1910 | George Alfred Savage | |
| 1911 | Andrew Gillespie | |
| 1912 | John Edward Burke | |
| 1913 | Henry Neylan | |
| 1914 | Joseph Allen | |
| 1915 | James Davey | |
| 1916 | John Edwin Hilton | |
| 1917 | Robert William Henry Long | |
| 1918 | Peter Forrest | |
| 1919 | John Gaffney | |
| 1920 | Alfred Faulkner | |
| 1921 | Alfred Faulkner | |
| 1922 | Alfred Faulkner | |
| 1923 | Alfred Faulkner | |
| 1924 | John Keogh | |
| 1925 | John Keogh |